What is the opposite of “parallel” in architecture?

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The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are not parallel: they are slightly [???] to account for the curvature of the earth.



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What is that word?










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  • 2




    "Angled" is a simple way to express it.
    – jejorda2
    May 2 '17 at 19:10






  • 1




    I’d say they are slightly oblique.
    – Jim
    May 2 '17 at 20:29






  • 2




    they are splayed
    – Phil Sweet
    May 2 '17 at 20:39






  • 1




    They are tilted (away from each other).
    – Xanne
    May 2 '17 at 21:12






  • 1




    @Jim Ah, you didn't say 'to each other' and I read it in relation to their base. Though it seems slightly 'remote' to refer to their angle in relation to each other which iss o acute that they won't meet for nearly 4,000 miles. :)
    – Spagirl
    May 2 '17 at 22:41

















up vote
1
down vote

favorite












The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are not parallel: they are slightly [???] to account for the curvature of the earth.



enter image description here



What is that word?










share|improve this question

















  • 2




    "Angled" is a simple way to express it.
    – jejorda2
    May 2 '17 at 19:10






  • 1




    I’d say they are slightly oblique.
    – Jim
    May 2 '17 at 20:29






  • 2




    they are splayed
    – Phil Sweet
    May 2 '17 at 20:39






  • 1




    They are tilted (away from each other).
    – Xanne
    May 2 '17 at 21:12






  • 1




    @Jim Ah, you didn't say 'to each other' and I read it in relation to their base. Though it seems slightly 'remote' to refer to their angle in relation to each other which iss o acute that they won't meet for nearly 4,000 miles. :)
    – Spagirl
    May 2 '17 at 22:41













up vote
1
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up vote
1
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The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are not parallel: they are slightly [???] to account for the curvature of the earth.



enter image description here



What is that word?










share|improve this question













The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are not parallel: they are slightly [???] to account for the curvature of the earth.



enter image description here



What is that word?







single-word-requests






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asked May 2 '17 at 18:52









Ricky

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  • 2




    "Angled" is a simple way to express it.
    – jejorda2
    May 2 '17 at 19:10






  • 1




    I’d say they are slightly oblique.
    – Jim
    May 2 '17 at 20:29






  • 2




    they are splayed
    – Phil Sweet
    May 2 '17 at 20:39






  • 1




    They are tilted (away from each other).
    – Xanne
    May 2 '17 at 21:12






  • 1




    @Jim Ah, you didn't say 'to each other' and I read it in relation to their base. Though it seems slightly 'remote' to refer to their angle in relation to each other which iss o acute that they won't meet for nearly 4,000 miles. :)
    – Spagirl
    May 2 '17 at 22:41













  • 2




    "Angled" is a simple way to express it.
    – jejorda2
    May 2 '17 at 19:10






  • 1




    I’d say they are slightly oblique.
    – Jim
    May 2 '17 at 20:29






  • 2




    they are splayed
    – Phil Sweet
    May 2 '17 at 20:39






  • 1




    They are tilted (away from each other).
    – Xanne
    May 2 '17 at 21:12






  • 1




    @Jim Ah, you didn't say 'to each other' and I read it in relation to their base. Though it seems slightly 'remote' to refer to their angle in relation to each other which iss o acute that they won't meet for nearly 4,000 miles. :)
    – Spagirl
    May 2 '17 at 22:41








2




2




"Angled" is a simple way to express it.
– jejorda2
May 2 '17 at 19:10




"Angled" is a simple way to express it.
– jejorda2
May 2 '17 at 19:10




1




1




I’d say they are slightly oblique.
– Jim
May 2 '17 at 20:29




I’d say they are slightly oblique.
– Jim
May 2 '17 at 20:29




2




2




they are splayed
– Phil Sweet
May 2 '17 at 20:39




they are splayed
– Phil Sweet
May 2 '17 at 20:39




1




1




They are tilted (away from each other).
– Xanne
May 2 '17 at 21:12




They are tilted (away from each other).
– Xanne
May 2 '17 at 21:12




1




1




@Jim Ah, you didn't say 'to each other' and I read it in relation to their base. Though it seems slightly 'remote' to refer to their angle in relation to each other which iss o acute that they won't meet for nearly 4,000 miles. :)
– Spagirl
May 2 '17 at 22:41





@Jim Ah, you didn't say 'to each other' and I read it in relation to their base. Though it seems slightly 'remote' to refer to their angle in relation to each other which iss o acute that they won't meet for nearly 4,000 miles. :)
– Spagirl
May 2 '17 at 22:41











12 Answers
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I believe it's as simple as "nonparallel". A synonym for this is "oblique" ("slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled").
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nonparallel






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  • Oblique is not right for the towers.
    – Lambie
    Oct 3 at 21:31

















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The opposite of parallel is right, orthogonal, normal or perpendicular. But these towers are not the opposite of parallel, they're simply not parallel. So you could just say "not parallel". You could also say "at an angle to each other". Technically, parallel lines are at angle of 0, and 0 is a number, but people will know what you mean. You could also say they "diverge" or "are divergent". Here, it would be implicit that they diverge as one goes up.






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  • 1




    I guess I would be wrong to say they converge or are convergent.
    – Stan
    Oct 3 at 20:48






  • 1




    @Stan If you look at what happens when you start at the top and go down, they do converge, but I think it's more natural to treat things as "starting" at the ground and going up.
    – Acccumulation
    Oct 3 at 20:49










  • Oh, I gathered that mention of the centre of the earth was some sort of reference. It's not important.
    – Stan
    Oct 3 at 20:54







  • 1




    The opposite of parallel is intersecting...which includes lines that are perpendicular(etc.) but also includes a whole bunch of other lines.
    – user3067860
    Oct 3 at 21:53






  • 1




    Can you to cite any geometry reference that says perpendicular is the OPPOSITE of parallel? Perpendicular is just a special form of intersection. Anything that is not perpendicular by definition intersects at some point in space. Asking a question about the opposite of parallel is really a form of double negative, which is also by definition an ambiguous phrase.
    – DadalusSr
    Oct 3 at 22:19

















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8
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Use of a descriptive word along with "parallel" seems appropriate here - adverbs like almost, approximately, virtually, or visually.



The nature of the construction and the deviance from parallel is so small that using a completely different word would seem to convey greater difference than is actually present. The two bridge towers are almost (but not quite) parallel, differing, top distance vs. base distance, by a small but significant 41.26 mm. They are:



"virtually" parallel. or "approximately" parallel



or



They "deviate" from being truly parallel.




Example: Though virtually parallel, they actually deviate from parallel by 41.26
mm at top to correct for the curvature of the earth.




https://www.thefreedictionary.com/virtually



https://www.thefreedictionary.com/deviate






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  • near-parallel was what I was thinking. Not catchy, but accurate and descriptive.
    – Jamie Clinton
    Oct 3 at 22:36

















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I think you could go with askew:




out of line : at an angle
from m-w.com







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  • 1




    "The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are askew." Hmm ...
    – Ricky
    May 2 '17 at 20:28






  • 2




    Askew has the connotation of “out of position” and not by design to me.
    – Jim
    May 2 '17 at 20:30










  • @Jim, The full sentence "The two towers ... are slightly askew to account for the curvature of the earth" reads fine, implies the direction of the 'askewity', and negates the "not-by-design" connotation.
    – Hellion
    May 2 '17 at 20:30











  • Yeah, that makes it better.
    – Jim
    May 2 '17 at 20:40










  • @Jim to an architect, I don't think that would be true. askew is used in architecture simply to mean "not orthogonal". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation.
    – ell
    May 2 '17 at 23:28

















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They are divergent or diverging




Drawing apart from a common point; diverging. (Free Dictionary #1)







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    "Angled". But, uh, in your picture it is clearly the pincushion distortion of the lens that is doing a much more thorough job of sabotaging parallelism than Earth curvature (the radius is something like 4000mi after all). And after pincushion distortion, there is perspective distortion. And of course you'd not make the pillars of a suspended bridge vertical anyway but angle them outwards so that the combined load of their weight and the rope tension will point towards their foundation.






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    • 1




      Excellent analysis. Made me chuckle.
      – user22542
      Oct 3 at 21:03










    • the towers are 1 5⁄8 in (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases; they are not parallel to each other. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge#Statistics Yes, angled outward.
      – Lambie
      Oct 3 at 21:51


















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    Divergent seems sensible to me






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    • You say? Infinitely?
      – user22542
      Oct 3 at 21:04










    • Or "convergent", even.
      – Beanluc
      Oct 3 at 22:37






    • 3




      Your effort to help is welcome. To show that yours is the right answer, it should include explanation, context, and supporting facts. For example, you could offer evidence such as the definition from a good online dictionary. You could contrast your answer with other answers. Whatever would make this the right answer, instead of an opinion. This is what makes answers useful – to the asker, and to future visitors. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”.
      – MetaEd♦
      Oct 3 at 23:21

















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    there are many good answers here for what you want, but technically none of them are the opposite of parallel. that would be perpendicular or orthogonal






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      If the word "parallel" is used in the computational process, or some other process task, you can use "serial" as oposit of "parallel".




      • Example 1:



        My computer can process 8 tasks in parallel.



      The oposite



      My computer has an serial processor.




      • Example 2:



        My team can perform 10 process in parallel (i.e. in the same time)



      The oposite



      My team can perform only processes serially






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        Although it doesn't quite fit into your sample sentence, the word radial describes the tilted arrangement of the bridge towers:




        Of or arranged like rays or the radii of a circle; diverging in lines from a common centre.
        Oxford Dictionaries







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        • +1, but it would not hurt to make it clear that the center referred to is the center of gravity (centroid) of the earth.
          – Senex Ægypti Parvi
          May 3 '17 at 8:11










        • @SenexÆgyptiParvi: The towers would have to be perpendicular to the earth's surface for that to be true. Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable, and the towers would appear to be parallel. More likely, the tilt of the towers is governed by the arch of the bridge itself. The bridge is likely arched to allow it to handle more weight.
          – jxh
          May 3 '17 at 8:20










        • @jxh - Speaking as a bridge engineer: for a suspension bridge you wouldn't tilt the towers in order to arch the bridge, as the tower and the bridge deck can meet at any angle. Rather, you would make the towers vertical in order to ensure that the load is purely axial, rather than introducing eccentricity which would cause additional moments. As covered in the question "the towers are [not parallel] to account for the curvature of the earth": this exactly means that the towers are perpendicular to the earth's surface.
          – AndyT
          May 3 '17 at 10:17










        • @AndyT: That makes more sense, but the photo does make it look like the towers tilt away from each other.
          – jxh
          May 3 '17 at 10:21










        • @jxh - Probably just perspective. As you say: "Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable" - per Wikipedia the towers are only 41mm further apart at the top than the bottom. Although, given that article states that the towers are 211m high, 41mm horizontal sounds less then the construction tolerance (i.e. I'd be surprised if they could build the top to within 50mm of where it's supposed to be). This 41mm sounds theoretical rather than practical to me!
          – AndyT
          May 3 '17 at 10:31

















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        In electricity the opposite of "parallel" is "series" relative to connections. It would also apply to these towers as they appear in series along the bridge roadway.






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        • That's quite witty, dude!
          – Ricky
          Oct 3 at 23:50

















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        "Converging" would the most apt descriptor for "not parallel" in my opinion, as geometrically speaking any lines which are not parallel can accurately be said to converge or diverge.






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          12 Answers
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          I believe it's as simple as "nonparallel". A synonym for this is "oblique" ("slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled").
          https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nonparallel






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          • Oblique is not right for the towers.
            – Lambie
            Oct 3 at 21:31














          up vote
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          I believe it's as simple as "nonparallel". A synonym for this is "oblique" ("slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled").
          https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nonparallel






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          • Oblique is not right for the towers.
            – Lambie
            Oct 3 at 21:31












          up vote
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          up vote
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          I believe it's as simple as "nonparallel". A synonym for this is "oblique" ("slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled").
          https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nonparallel






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          I believe it's as simple as "nonparallel". A synonym for this is "oblique" ("slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled").
          https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nonparallel







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          answered Oct 3 at 19:02









          Kanari

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          • Oblique is not right for the towers.
            – Lambie
            Oct 3 at 21:31
















          • Oblique is not right for the towers.
            – Lambie
            Oct 3 at 21:31















          Oblique is not right for the towers.
          – Lambie
          Oct 3 at 21:31




          Oblique is not right for the towers.
          – Lambie
          Oct 3 at 21:31












          up vote
          9
          down vote













          The opposite of parallel is right, orthogonal, normal or perpendicular. But these towers are not the opposite of parallel, they're simply not parallel. So you could just say "not parallel". You could also say "at an angle to each other". Technically, parallel lines are at angle of 0, and 0 is a number, but people will know what you mean. You could also say they "diverge" or "are divergent". Here, it would be implicit that they diverge as one goes up.






          share|improve this answer


















          • 1




            I guess I would be wrong to say they converge or are convergent.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:48






          • 1




            @Stan If you look at what happens when you start at the top and go down, they do converge, but I think it's more natural to treat things as "starting" at the ground and going up.
            – Acccumulation
            Oct 3 at 20:49










          • Oh, I gathered that mention of the centre of the earth was some sort of reference. It's not important.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:54







          • 1




            The opposite of parallel is intersecting...which includes lines that are perpendicular(etc.) but also includes a whole bunch of other lines.
            – user3067860
            Oct 3 at 21:53






          • 1




            Can you to cite any geometry reference that says perpendicular is the OPPOSITE of parallel? Perpendicular is just a special form of intersection. Anything that is not perpendicular by definition intersects at some point in space. Asking a question about the opposite of parallel is really a form of double negative, which is also by definition an ambiguous phrase.
            – DadalusSr
            Oct 3 at 22:19














          up vote
          9
          down vote













          The opposite of parallel is right, orthogonal, normal or perpendicular. But these towers are not the opposite of parallel, they're simply not parallel. So you could just say "not parallel". You could also say "at an angle to each other". Technically, parallel lines are at angle of 0, and 0 is a number, but people will know what you mean. You could also say they "diverge" or "are divergent". Here, it would be implicit that they diverge as one goes up.






          share|improve this answer


















          • 1




            I guess I would be wrong to say they converge or are convergent.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:48






          • 1




            @Stan If you look at what happens when you start at the top and go down, they do converge, but I think it's more natural to treat things as "starting" at the ground and going up.
            – Acccumulation
            Oct 3 at 20:49










          • Oh, I gathered that mention of the centre of the earth was some sort of reference. It's not important.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:54







          • 1




            The opposite of parallel is intersecting...which includes lines that are perpendicular(etc.) but also includes a whole bunch of other lines.
            – user3067860
            Oct 3 at 21:53






          • 1




            Can you to cite any geometry reference that says perpendicular is the OPPOSITE of parallel? Perpendicular is just a special form of intersection. Anything that is not perpendicular by definition intersects at some point in space. Asking a question about the opposite of parallel is really a form of double negative, which is also by definition an ambiguous phrase.
            – DadalusSr
            Oct 3 at 22:19












          up vote
          9
          down vote










          up vote
          9
          down vote









          The opposite of parallel is right, orthogonal, normal or perpendicular. But these towers are not the opposite of parallel, they're simply not parallel. So you could just say "not parallel". You could also say "at an angle to each other". Technically, parallel lines are at angle of 0, and 0 is a number, but people will know what you mean. You could also say they "diverge" or "are divergent". Here, it would be implicit that they diverge as one goes up.






          share|improve this answer














          The opposite of parallel is right, orthogonal, normal or perpendicular. But these towers are not the opposite of parallel, they're simply not parallel. So you could just say "not parallel". You could also say "at an angle to each other". Technically, parallel lines are at angle of 0, and 0 is a number, but people will know what you mean. You could also say they "diverge" or "are divergent". Here, it would be implicit that they diverge as one goes up.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited Oct 3 at 20:48

























          answered Oct 3 at 20:43









          Acccumulation

          1,13427




          1,13427







          • 1




            I guess I would be wrong to say they converge or are convergent.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:48






          • 1




            @Stan If you look at what happens when you start at the top and go down, they do converge, but I think it's more natural to treat things as "starting" at the ground and going up.
            – Acccumulation
            Oct 3 at 20:49










          • Oh, I gathered that mention of the centre of the earth was some sort of reference. It's not important.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:54







          • 1




            The opposite of parallel is intersecting...which includes lines that are perpendicular(etc.) but also includes a whole bunch of other lines.
            – user3067860
            Oct 3 at 21:53






          • 1




            Can you to cite any geometry reference that says perpendicular is the OPPOSITE of parallel? Perpendicular is just a special form of intersection. Anything that is not perpendicular by definition intersects at some point in space. Asking a question about the opposite of parallel is really a form of double negative, which is also by definition an ambiguous phrase.
            – DadalusSr
            Oct 3 at 22:19












          • 1




            I guess I would be wrong to say they converge or are convergent.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:48






          • 1




            @Stan If you look at what happens when you start at the top and go down, they do converge, but I think it's more natural to treat things as "starting" at the ground and going up.
            – Acccumulation
            Oct 3 at 20:49










          • Oh, I gathered that mention of the centre of the earth was some sort of reference. It's not important.
            – Stan
            Oct 3 at 20:54







          • 1




            The opposite of parallel is intersecting...which includes lines that are perpendicular(etc.) but also includes a whole bunch of other lines.
            – user3067860
            Oct 3 at 21:53






          • 1




            Can you to cite any geometry reference that says perpendicular is the OPPOSITE of parallel? Perpendicular is just a special form of intersection. Anything that is not perpendicular by definition intersects at some point in space. Asking a question about the opposite of parallel is really a form of double negative, which is also by definition an ambiguous phrase.
            – DadalusSr
            Oct 3 at 22:19







          1




          1




          I guess I would be wrong to say they converge or are convergent.
          – Stan
          Oct 3 at 20:48




          I guess I would be wrong to say they converge or are convergent.
          – Stan
          Oct 3 at 20:48




          1




          1




          @Stan If you look at what happens when you start at the top and go down, they do converge, but I think it's more natural to treat things as "starting" at the ground and going up.
          – Acccumulation
          Oct 3 at 20:49




          @Stan If you look at what happens when you start at the top and go down, they do converge, but I think it's more natural to treat things as "starting" at the ground and going up.
          – Acccumulation
          Oct 3 at 20:49












          Oh, I gathered that mention of the centre of the earth was some sort of reference. It's not important.
          – Stan
          Oct 3 at 20:54





          Oh, I gathered that mention of the centre of the earth was some sort of reference. It's not important.
          – Stan
          Oct 3 at 20:54





          1




          1




          The opposite of parallel is intersecting...which includes lines that are perpendicular(etc.) but also includes a whole bunch of other lines.
          – user3067860
          Oct 3 at 21:53




          The opposite of parallel is intersecting...which includes lines that are perpendicular(etc.) but also includes a whole bunch of other lines.
          – user3067860
          Oct 3 at 21:53




          1




          1




          Can you to cite any geometry reference that says perpendicular is the OPPOSITE of parallel? Perpendicular is just a special form of intersection. Anything that is not perpendicular by definition intersects at some point in space. Asking a question about the opposite of parallel is really a form of double negative, which is also by definition an ambiguous phrase.
          – DadalusSr
          Oct 3 at 22:19




          Can you to cite any geometry reference that says perpendicular is the OPPOSITE of parallel? Perpendicular is just a special form of intersection. Anything that is not perpendicular by definition intersects at some point in space. Asking a question about the opposite of parallel is really a form of double negative, which is also by definition an ambiguous phrase.
          – DadalusSr
          Oct 3 at 22:19










          up vote
          8
          down vote













          Use of a descriptive word along with "parallel" seems appropriate here - adverbs like almost, approximately, virtually, or visually.



          The nature of the construction and the deviance from parallel is so small that using a completely different word would seem to convey greater difference than is actually present. The two bridge towers are almost (but not quite) parallel, differing, top distance vs. base distance, by a small but significant 41.26 mm. They are:



          "virtually" parallel. or "approximately" parallel



          or



          They "deviate" from being truly parallel.




          Example: Though virtually parallel, they actually deviate from parallel by 41.26
          mm at top to correct for the curvature of the earth.




          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/virtually



          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/deviate






          share|improve this answer




















          • near-parallel was what I was thinking. Not catchy, but accurate and descriptive.
            – Jamie Clinton
            Oct 3 at 22:36














          up vote
          8
          down vote













          Use of a descriptive word along with "parallel" seems appropriate here - adverbs like almost, approximately, virtually, or visually.



          The nature of the construction and the deviance from parallel is so small that using a completely different word would seem to convey greater difference than is actually present. The two bridge towers are almost (but not quite) parallel, differing, top distance vs. base distance, by a small but significant 41.26 mm. They are:



          "virtually" parallel. or "approximately" parallel



          or



          They "deviate" from being truly parallel.




          Example: Though virtually parallel, they actually deviate from parallel by 41.26
          mm at top to correct for the curvature of the earth.




          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/virtually



          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/deviate






          share|improve this answer




















          • near-parallel was what I was thinking. Not catchy, but accurate and descriptive.
            – Jamie Clinton
            Oct 3 at 22:36












          up vote
          8
          down vote










          up vote
          8
          down vote









          Use of a descriptive word along with "parallel" seems appropriate here - adverbs like almost, approximately, virtually, or visually.



          The nature of the construction and the deviance from parallel is so small that using a completely different word would seem to convey greater difference than is actually present. The two bridge towers are almost (but not quite) parallel, differing, top distance vs. base distance, by a small but significant 41.26 mm. They are:



          "virtually" parallel. or "approximately" parallel



          or



          They "deviate" from being truly parallel.




          Example: Though virtually parallel, they actually deviate from parallel by 41.26
          mm at top to correct for the curvature of the earth.




          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/virtually



          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/deviate






          share|improve this answer












          Use of a descriptive word along with "parallel" seems appropriate here - adverbs like almost, approximately, virtually, or visually.



          The nature of the construction and the deviance from parallel is so small that using a completely different word would seem to convey greater difference than is actually present. The two bridge towers are almost (but not quite) parallel, differing, top distance vs. base distance, by a small but significant 41.26 mm. They are:



          "virtually" parallel. or "approximately" parallel



          or



          They "deviate" from being truly parallel.




          Example: Though virtually parallel, they actually deviate from parallel by 41.26
          mm at top to correct for the curvature of the earth.




          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/virtually



          https://www.thefreedictionary.com/deviate







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Oct 3 at 19:44









          user22542

          1,31437




          1,31437











          • near-parallel was what I was thinking. Not catchy, but accurate and descriptive.
            – Jamie Clinton
            Oct 3 at 22:36
















          • near-parallel was what I was thinking. Not catchy, but accurate and descriptive.
            – Jamie Clinton
            Oct 3 at 22:36















          near-parallel was what I was thinking. Not catchy, but accurate and descriptive.
          – Jamie Clinton
          Oct 3 at 22:36




          near-parallel was what I was thinking. Not catchy, but accurate and descriptive.
          – Jamie Clinton
          Oct 3 at 22:36










          up vote
          5
          down vote













          I think you could go with askew:




          out of line : at an angle
          from m-w.com







          share|improve this answer
















          • 1




            "The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are askew." Hmm ...
            – Ricky
            May 2 '17 at 20:28






          • 2




            Askew has the connotation of “out of position” and not by design to me.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:30










          • @Jim, The full sentence "The two towers ... are slightly askew to account for the curvature of the earth" reads fine, implies the direction of the 'askewity', and negates the "not-by-design" connotation.
            – Hellion
            May 2 '17 at 20:30











          • Yeah, that makes it better.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:40










          • @Jim to an architect, I don't think that would be true. askew is used in architecture simply to mean "not orthogonal". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation.
            – ell
            May 2 '17 at 23:28














          up vote
          5
          down vote













          I think you could go with askew:




          out of line : at an angle
          from m-w.com







          share|improve this answer
















          • 1




            "The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are askew." Hmm ...
            – Ricky
            May 2 '17 at 20:28






          • 2




            Askew has the connotation of “out of position” and not by design to me.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:30










          • @Jim, The full sentence "The two towers ... are slightly askew to account for the curvature of the earth" reads fine, implies the direction of the 'askewity', and negates the "not-by-design" connotation.
            – Hellion
            May 2 '17 at 20:30











          • Yeah, that makes it better.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:40










          • @Jim to an architect, I don't think that would be true. askew is used in architecture simply to mean "not orthogonal". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation.
            – ell
            May 2 '17 at 23:28












          up vote
          5
          down vote










          up vote
          5
          down vote









          I think you could go with askew:




          out of line : at an angle
          from m-w.com







          share|improve this answer












          I think you could go with askew:




          out of line : at an angle
          from m-w.com








          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered May 2 '17 at 19:19









          Hellion

          52.3k13107195




          52.3k13107195







          • 1




            "The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are askew." Hmm ...
            – Ricky
            May 2 '17 at 20:28






          • 2




            Askew has the connotation of “out of position” and not by design to me.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:30










          • @Jim, The full sentence "The two towers ... are slightly askew to account for the curvature of the earth" reads fine, implies the direction of the 'askewity', and negates the "not-by-design" connotation.
            – Hellion
            May 2 '17 at 20:30











          • Yeah, that makes it better.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:40










          • @Jim to an architect, I don't think that would be true. askew is used in architecture simply to mean "not orthogonal". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation.
            – ell
            May 2 '17 at 23:28












          • 1




            "The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are askew." Hmm ...
            – Ricky
            May 2 '17 at 20:28






          • 2




            Askew has the connotation of “out of position” and not by design to me.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:30










          • @Jim, The full sentence "The two towers ... are slightly askew to account for the curvature of the earth" reads fine, implies the direction of the 'askewity', and negates the "not-by-design" connotation.
            – Hellion
            May 2 '17 at 20:30











          • Yeah, that makes it better.
            – Jim
            May 2 '17 at 20:40










          • @Jim to an architect, I don't think that would be true. askew is used in architecture simply to mean "not orthogonal". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation.
            – ell
            May 2 '17 at 23:28







          1




          1




          "The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are askew." Hmm ...
          – Ricky
          May 2 '17 at 20:28




          "The two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are askew." Hmm ...
          – Ricky
          May 2 '17 at 20:28




          2




          2




          Askew has the connotation of “out of position” and not by design to me.
          – Jim
          May 2 '17 at 20:30




          Askew has the connotation of “out of position” and not by design to me.
          – Jim
          May 2 '17 at 20:30












          @Jim, The full sentence "The two towers ... are slightly askew to account for the curvature of the earth" reads fine, implies the direction of the 'askewity', and negates the "not-by-design" connotation.
          – Hellion
          May 2 '17 at 20:30





          @Jim, The full sentence "The two towers ... are slightly askew to account for the curvature of the earth" reads fine, implies the direction of the 'askewity', and negates the "not-by-design" connotation.
          – Hellion
          May 2 '17 at 20:30













          Yeah, that makes it better.
          – Jim
          May 2 '17 at 20:40




          Yeah, that makes it better.
          – Jim
          May 2 '17 at 20:40












          @Jim to an architect, I don't think that would be true. askew is used in architecture simply to mean "not orthogonal". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation.
          – ell
          May 2 '17 at 23:28




          @Jim to an architect, I don't think that would be true. askew is used in architecture simply to mean "not orthogonal". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation.
          – ell
          May 2 '17 at 23:28










          up vote
          3
          down vote













          They are divergent or diverging




          Drawing apart from a common point; diverging. (Free Dictionary #1)







          share|improve this answer
























            up vote
            3
            down vote













            They are divergent or diverging




            Drawing apart from a common point; diverging. (Free Dictionary #1)







            share|improve this answer






















              up vote
              3
              down vote










              up vote
              3
              down vote









              They are divergent or diverging




              Drawing apart from a common point; diverging. (Free Dictionary #1)







              share|improve this answer












              They are divergent or diverging




              Drawing apart from a common point; diverging. (Free Dictionary #1)








              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered May 3 '17 at 0:23









              Canis Lupus

              20.7k13272




              20.7k13272




















                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote













                  "Angled". But, uh, in your picture it is clearly the pincushion distortion of the lens that is doing a much more thorough job of sabotaging parallelism than Earth curvature (the radius is something like 4000mi after all). And after pincushion distortion, there is perspective distortion. And of course you'd not make the pillars of a suspended bridge vertical anyway but angle them outwards so that the combined load of their weight and the rope tension will point towards their foundation.






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  user318700 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                  • 1




                    Excellent analysis. Made me chuckle.
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:03










                  • the towers are 1 5⁄8 in (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases; they are not parallel to each other. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge#Statistics Yes, angled outward.
                    – Lambie
                    Oct 3 at 21:51















                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote













                  "Angled". But, uh, in your picture it is clearly the pincushion distortion of the lens that is doing a much more thorough job of sabotaging parallelism than Earth curvature (the radius is something like 4000mi after all). And after pincushion distortion, there is perspective distortion. And of course you'd not make the pillars of a suspended bridge vertical anyway but angle them outwards so that the combined load of their weight and the rope tension will point towards their foundation.






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  user318700 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.













                  • 1




                    Excellent analysis. Made me chuckle.
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:03










                  • the towers are 1 5⁄8 in (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases; they are not parallel to each other. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge#Statistics Yes, angled outward.
                    – Lambie
                    Oct 3 at 21:51













                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote









                  "Angled". But, uh, in your picture it is clearly the pincushion distortion of the lens that is doing a much more thorough job of sabotaging parallelism than Earth curvature (the radius is something like 4000mi after all). And after pincushion distortion, there is perspective distortion. And of course you'd not make the pillars of a suspended bridge vertical anyway but angle them outwards so that the combined load of their weight and the rope tension will point towards their foundation.






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  user318700 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  "Angled". But, uh, in your picture it is clearly the pincushion distortion of the lens that is doing a much more thorough job of sabotaging parallelism than Earth curvature (the radius is something like 4000mi after all). And after pincushion distortion, there is perspective distortion. And of course you'd not make the pillars of a suspended bridge vertical anyway but angle them outwards so that the combined load of their weight and the rope tension will point towards their foundation.







                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  user318700 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer






                  New contributor




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                  answered Oct 3 at 20:48









                  user318700

                  311




                  311




                  New contributor




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                  New contributor





                  user318700 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                  user318700 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                  • 1




                    Excellent analysis. Made me chuckle.
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:03










                  • the towers are 1 5⁄8 in (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases; they are not parallel to each other. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge#Statistics Yes, angled outward.
                    – Lambie
                    Oct 3 at 21:51













                  • 1




                    Excellent analysis. Made me chuckle.
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:03










                  • the towers are 1 5⁄8 in (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases; they are not parallel to each other. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge#Statistics Yes, angled outward.
                    – Lambie
                    Oct 3 at 21:51








                  1




                  1




                  Excellent analysis. Made me chuckle.
                  – user22542
                  Oct 3 at 21:03




                  Excellent analysis. Made me chuckle.
                  – user22542
                  Oct 3 at 21:03












                  the towers are 1 5⁄8 in (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases; they are not parallel to each other. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge#Statistics Yes, angled outward.
                  – Lambie
                  Oct 3 at 21:51





                  the towers are 1 5⁄8 in (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases; they are not parallel to each other. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge#Statistics Yes, angled outward.
                  – Lambie
                  Oct 3 at 21:51











                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote













                  Divergent seems sensible to me






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




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                  • You say? Infinitely?
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:04










                  • Or "convergent", even.
                    – Beanluc
                    Oct 3 at 22:37






                  • 3




                    Your effort to help is welcome. To show that yours is the right answer, it should include explanation, context, and supporting facts. For example, you could offer evidence such as the definition from a good online dictionary. You could contrast your answer with other answers. Whatever would make this the right answer, instead of an opinion. This is what makes answers useful – to the asker, and to future visitors. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”.
                    – MetaEd♦
                    Oct 3 at 23:21














                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote













                  Divergent seems sensible to me






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Phil Masters is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                  • You say? Infinitely?
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:04










                  • Or "convergent", even.
                    – Beanluc
                    Oct 3 at 22:37






                  • 3




                    Your effort to help is welcome. To show that yours is the right answer, it should include explanation, context, and supporting facts. For example, you could offer evidence such as the definition from a good online dictionary. You could contrast your answer with other answers. Whatever would make this the right answer, instead of an opinion. This is what makes answers useful – to the asker, and to future visitors. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”.
                    – MetaEd♦
                    Oct 3 at 23:21












                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote









                  Divergent seems sensible to me






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Phil Masters is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                  Divergent seems sensible to me







                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Phil Masters is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer






                  New contributor




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                  answered Oct 3 at 20:19









                  Phil Masters

                  371




                  371




                  New contributor




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                  New contributor





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                  • You say? Infinitely?
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:04










                  • Or "convergent", even.
                    – Beanluc
                    Oct 3 at 22:37






                  • 3




                    Your effort to help is welcome. To show that yours is the right answer, it should include explanation, context, and supporting facts. For example, you could offer evidence such as the definition from a good online dictionary. You could contrast your answer with other answers. Whatever would make this the right answer, instead of an opinion. This is what makes answers useful – to the asker, and to future visitors. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”.
                    – MetaEd♦
                    Oct 3 at 23:21
















                  • You say? Infinitely?
                    – user22542
                    Oct 3 at 21:04










                  • Or "convergent", even.
                    – Beanluc
                    Oct 3 at 22:37






                  • 3




                    Your effort to help is welcome. To show that yours is the right answer, it should include explanation, context, and supporting facts. For example, you could offer evidence such as the definition from a good online dictionary. You could contrast your answer with other answers. Whatever would make this the right answer, instead of an opinion. This is what makes answers useful – to the asker, and to future visitors. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”.
                    – MetaEd♦
                    Oct 3 at 23:21















                  You say? Infinitely?
                  – user22542
                  Oct 3 at 21:04




                  You say? Infinitely?
                  – user22542
                  Oct 3 at 21:04












                  Or "convergent", even.
                  – Beanluc
                  Oct 3 at 22:37




                  Or "convergent", even.
                  – Beanluc
                  Oct 3 at 22:37




                  3




                  3




                  Your effort to help is welcome. To show that yours is the right answer, it should include explanation, context, and supporting facts. For example, you could offer evidence such as the definition from a good online dictionary. You could contrast your answer with other answers. Whatever would make this the right answer, instead of an opinion. This is what makes answers useful – to the asker, and to future visitors. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”.
                  – MetaEd♦
                  Oct 3 at 23:21




                  Your effort to help is welcome. To show that yours is the right answer, it should include explanation, context, and supporting facts. For example, you could offer evidence such as the definition from a good online dictionary. You could contrast your answer with other answers. Whatever would make this the right answer, instead of an opinion. This is what makes answers useful – to the asker, and to future visitors. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”.
                  – MetaEd♦
                  Oct 3 at 23:21










                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote













                  there are many good answers here for what you want, but technically none of them are the opposite of parallel. that would be perpendicular or orthogonal






                  share|improve this answer
























                    up vote
                    2
                    down vote













                    there are many good answers here for what you want, but technically none of them are the opposite of parallel. that would be perpendicular or orthogonal






                    share|improve this answer






















                      up vote
                      2
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      2
                      down vote









                      there are many good answers here for what you want, but technically none of them are the opposite of parallel. that would be perpendicular or orthogonal






                      share|improve this answer












                      there are many good answers here for what you want, but technically none of them are the opposite of parallel. that would be perpendicular or orthogonal







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered Oct 3 at 21:53









                      Sdarb

                      1415




                      1415




















                          up vote
                          2
                          down vote













                          If the word "parallel" is used in the computational process, or some other process task, you can use "serial" as oposit of "parallel".




                          • Example 1:



                            My computer can process 8 tasks in parallel.



                          The oposite



                          My computer has an serial processor.




                          • Example 2:



                            My team can perform 10 process in parallel (i.e. in the same time)



                          The oposite



                          My team can perform only processes serially






                          share|improve this answer








                          New contributor




                          Magno is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                            up vote
                            2
                            down vote













                            If the word "parallel" is used in the computational process, or some other process task, you can use "serial" as oposit of "parallel".




                            • Example 1:



                              My computer can process 8 tasks in parallel.



                            The oposite



                            My computer has an serial processor.




                            • Example 2:



                              My team can perform 10 process in parallel (i.e. in the same time)



                            The oposite



                            My team can perform only processes serially






                            share|improve this answer








                            New contributor




                            Magno is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.



















                              up vote
                              2
                              down vote










                              up vote
                              2
                              down vote









                              If the word "parallel" is used in the computational process, or some other process task, you can use "serial" as oposit of "parallel".




                              • Example 1:



                                My computer can process 8 tasks in parallel.



                              The oposite



                              My computer has an serial processor.




                              • Example 2:



                                My team can perform 10 process in parallel (i.e. in the same time)



                              The oposite



                              My team can perform only processes serially






                              share|improve this answer








                              New contributor




                              Magno is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                              If the word "parallel" is used in the computational process, or some other process task, you can use "serial" as oposit of "parallel".




                              • Example 1:



                                My computer can process 8 tasks in parallel.



                              The oposite



                              My computer has an serial processor.




                              • Example 2:



                                My team can perform 10 process in parallel (i.e. in the same time)



                              The oposite



                              My team can perform only processes serially







                              share|improve this answer








                              New contributor




                              Magno is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer






                              New contributor




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                              answered Oct 3 at 22:54









                              Magno

                              292




                              292




                              New contributor




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                              New contributor





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                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote













                                  Although it doesn't quite fit into your sample sentence, the word radial describes the tilted arrangement of the bridge towers:




                                  Of or arranged like rays or the radii of a circle; diverging in lines from a common centre.
                                  Oxford Dictionaries







                                  share|improve this answer




















                                  • +1, but it would not hurt to make it clear that the center referred to is the center of gravity (centroid) of the earth.
                                    – Senex Ægypti Parvi
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:11










                                  • @SenexÆgyptiParvi: The towers would have to be perpendicular to the earth's surface for that to be true. Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable, and the towers would appear to be parallel. More likely, the tilt of the towers is governed by the arch of the bridge itself. The bridge is likely arched to allow it to handle more weight.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:20










                                  • @jxh - Speaking as a bridge engineer: for a suspension bridge you wouldn't tilt the towers in order to arch the bridge, as the tower and the bridge deck can meet at any angle. Rather, you would make the towers vertical in order to ensure that the load is purely axial, rather than introducing eccentricity which would cause additional moments. As covered in the question "the towers are [not parallel] to account for the curvature of the earth": this exactly means that the towers are perpendicular to the earth's surface.
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:17










                                  • @AndyT: That makes more sense, but the photo does make it look like the towers tilt away from each other.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:21










                                  • @jxh - Probably just perspective. As you say: "Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable" - per Wikipedia the towers are only 41mm further apart at the top than the bottom. Although, given that article states that the towers are 211m high, 41mm horizontal sounds less then the construction tolerance (i.e. I'd be surprised if they could build the top to within 50mm of where it's supposed to be). This 41mm sounds theoretical rather than practical to me!
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:31














                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote













                                  Although it doesn't quite fit into your sample sentence, the word radial describes the tilted arrangement of the bridge towers:




                                  Of or arranged like rays or the radii of a circle; diverging in lines from a common centre.
                                  Oxford Dictionaries







                                  share|improve this answer




















                                  • +1, but it would not hurt to make it clear that the center referred to is the center of gravity (centroid) of the earth.
                                    – Senex Ægypti Parvi
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:11










                                  • @SenexÆgyptiParvi: The towers would have to be perpendicular to the earth's surface for that to be true. Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable, and the towers would appear to be parallel. More likely, the tilt of the towers is governed by the arch of the bridge itself. The bridge is likely arched to allow it to handle more weight.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:20










                                  • @jxh - Speaking as a bridge engineer: for a suspension bridge you wouldn't tilt the towers in order to arch the bridge, as the tower and the bridge deck can meet at any angle. Rather, you would make the towers vertical in order to ensure that the load is purely axial, rather than introducing eccentricity which would cause additional moments. As covered in the question "the towers are [not parallel] to account for the curvature of the earth": this exactly means that the towers are perpendicular to the earth's surface.
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:17










                                  • @AndyT: That makes more sense, but the photo does make it look like the towers tilt away from each other.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:21










                                  • @jxh - Probably just perspective. As you say: "Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable" - per Wikipedia the towers are only 41mm further apart at the top than the bottom. Although, given that article states that the towers are 211m high, 41mm horizontal sounds less then the construction tolerance (i.e. I'd be surprised if they could build the top to within 50mm of where it's supposed to be). This 41mm sounds theoretical rather than practical to me!
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:31












                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote










                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote









                                  Although it doesn't quite fit into your sample sentence, the word radial describes the tilted arrangement of the bridge towers:




                                  Of or arranged like rays or the radii of a circle; diverging in lines from a common centre.
                                  Oxford Dictionaries







                                  share|improve this answer












                                  Although it doesn't quite fit into your sample sentence, the word radial describes the tilted arrangement of the bridge towers:




                                  Of or arranged like rays or the radii of a circle; diverging in lines from a common centre.
                                  Oxford Dictionaries








                                  share|improve this answer












                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer










                                  answered May 3 '17 at 0:02









                                  jxh

                                  8,9711547




                                  8,9711547











                                  • +1, but it would not hurt to make it clear that the center referred to is the center of gravity (centroid) of the earth.
                                    – Senex Ægypti Parvi
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:11










                                  • @SenexÆgyptiParvi: The towers would have to be perpendicular to the earth's surface for that to be true. Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable, and the towers would appear to be parallel. More likely, the tilt of the towers is governed by the arch of the bridge itself. The bridge is likely arched to allow it to handle more weight.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:20










                                  • @jxh - Speaking as a bridge engineer: for a suspension bridge you wouldn't tilt the towers in order to arch the bridge, as the tower and the bridge deck can meet at any angle. Rather, you would make the towers vertical in order to ensure that the load is purely axial, rather than introducing eccentricity which would cause additional moments. As covered in the question "the towers are [not parallel] to account for the curvature of the earth": this exactly means that the towers are perpendicular to the earth's surface.
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:17










                                  • @AndyT: That makes more sense, but the photo does make it look like the towers tilt away from each other.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:21










                                  • @jxh - Probably just perspective. As you say: "Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable" - per Wikipedia the towers are only 41mm further apart at the top than the bottom. Although, given that article states that the towers are 211m high, 41mm horizontal sounds less then the construction tolerance (i.e. I'd be surprised if they could build the top to within 50mm of where it's supposed to be). This 41mm sounds theoretical rather than practical to me!
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:31
















                                  • +1, but it would not hurt to make it clear that the center referred to is the center of gravity (centroid) of the earth.
                                    – Senex Ægypti Parvi
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:11










                                  • @SenexÆgyptiParvi: The towers would have to be perpendicular to the earth's surface for that to be true. Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable, and the towers would appear to be parallel. More likely, the tilt of the towers is governed by the arch of the bridge itself. The bridge is likely arched to allow it to handle more weight.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 8:20










                                  • @jxh - Speaking as a bridge engineer: for a suspension bridge you wouldn't tilt the towers in order to arch the bridge, as the tower and the bridge deck can meet at any angle. Rather, you would make the towers vertical in order to ensure that the load is purely axial, rather than introducing eccentricity which would cause additional moments. As covered in the question "the towers are [not parallel] to account for the curvature of the earth": this exactly means that the towers are perpendicular to the earth's surface.
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:17










                                  • @AndyT: That makes more sense, but the photo does make it look like the towers tilt away from each other.
                                    – jxh
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:21










                                  • @jxh - Probably just perspective. As you say: "Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable" - per Wikipedia the towers are only 41mm further apart at the top than the bottom. Although, given that article states that the towers are 211m high, 41mm horizontal sounds less then the construction tolerance (i.e. I'd be surprised if they could build the top to within 50mm of where it's supposed to be). This 41mm sounds theoretical rather than practical to me!
                                    – AndyT
                                    May 3 '17 at 10:31















                                  +1, but it would not hurt to make it clear that the center referred to is the center of gravity (centroid) of the earth.
                                  – Senex Ægypti Parvi
                                  May 3 '17 at 8:11




                                  +1, but it would not hurt to make it clear that the center referred to is the center of gravity (centroid) of the earth.
                                  – Senex Ægypti Parvi
                                  May 3 '17 at 8:11












                                  @SenexÆgyptiParvi: The towers would have to be perpendicular to the earth's surface for that to be true. Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable, and the towers would appear to be parallel. More likely, the tilt of the towers is governed by the arch of the bridge itself. The bridge is likely arched to allow it to handle more weight.
                                  – jxh
                                  May 3 '17 at 8:20




                                  @SenexÆgyptiParvi: The towers would have to be perpendicular to the earth's surface for that to be true. Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable, and the towers would appear to be parallel. More likely, the tilt of the towers is governed by the arch of the bridge itself. The bridge is likely arched to allow it to handle more weight.
                                  – jxh
                                  May 3 '17 at 8:20












                                  @jxh - Speaking as a bridge engineer: for a suspension bridge you wouldn't tilt the towers in order to arch the bridge, as the tower and the bridge deck can meet at any angle. Rather, you would make the towers vertical in order to ensure that the load is purely axial, rather than introducing eccentricity which would cause additional moments. As covered in the question "the towers are [not parallel] to account for the curvature of the earth": this exactly means that the towers are perpendicular to the earth's surface.
                                  – AndyT
                                  May 3 '17 at 10:17




                                  @jxh - Speaking as a bridge engineer: for a suspension bridge you wouldn't tilt the towers in order to arch the bridge, as the tower and the bridge deck can meet at any angle. Rather, you would make the towers vertical in order to ensure that the load is purely axial, rather than introducing eccentricity which would cause additional moments. As covered in the question "the towers are [not parallel] to account for the curvature of the earth": this exactly means that the towers are perpendicular to the earth's surface.
                                  – AndyT
                                  May 3 '17 at 10:17












                                  @AndyT: That makes more sense, but the photo does make it look like the towers tilt away from each other.
                                  – jxh
                                  May 3 '17 at 10:21




                                  @AndyT: That makes more sense, but the photo does make it look like the towers tilt away from each other.
                                  – jxh
                                  May 3 '17 at 10:21












                                  @jxh - Probably just perspective. As you say: "Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable" - per Wikipedia the towers are only 41mm further apart at the top than the bottom. Although, given that article states that the towers are 211m high, 41mm horizontal sounds less then the construction tolerance (i.e. I'd be surprised if they could build the top to within 50mm of where it's supposed to be). This 41mm sounds theoretical rather than practical to me!
                                  – AndyT
                                  May 3 '17 at 10:31




                                  @jxh - Probably just perspective. As you say: "Given the length of the bridge, the tilt would not be very noticeable" - per Wikipedia the towers are only 41mm further apart at the top than the bottom. Although, given that article states that the towers are 211m high, 41mm horizontal sounds less then the construction tolerance (i.e. I'd be surprised if they could build the top to within 50mm of where it's supposed to be). This 41mm sounds theoretical rather than practical to me!
                                  – AndyT
                                  May 3 '17 at 10:31










                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote













                                  In electricity the opposite of "parallel" is "series" relative to connections. It would also apply to these towers as they appear in series along the bridge roadway.






                                  share|improve this answer








                                  New contributor




                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.

















                                  • That's quite witty, dude!
                                    – Ricky
                                    Oct 3 at 23:50














                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote













                                  In electricity the opposite of "parallel" is "series" relative to connections. It would also apply to these towers as they appear in series along the bridge roadway.






                                  share|improve this answer








                                  New contributor




                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.

















                                  • That's quite witty, dude!
                                    – Ricky
                                    Oct 3 at 23:50












                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote










                                  up vote
                                  1
                                  down vote









                                  In electricity the opposite of "parallel" is "series" relative to connections. It would also apply to these towers as they appear in series along the bridge roadway.






                                  share|improve this answer








                                  New contributor




                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                  In electricity the opposite of "parallel" is "series" relative to connections. It would also apply to these towers as they appear in series along the bridge roadway.







                                  share|improve this answer








                                  New contributor




                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer






                                  New contributor




                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                  answered Oct 3 at 21:40









                                  jgh59

                                  291




                                  291




                                  New contributor




                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                  New contributor





                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                  jgh59 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.











                                  • That's quite witty, dude!
                                    – Ricky
                                    Oct 3 at 23:50
















                                  • That's quite witty, dude!
                                    – Ricky
                                    Oct 3 at 23:50















                                  That's quite witty, dude!
                                  – Ricky
                                  Oct 3 at 23:50




                                  That's quite witty, dude!
                                  – Ricky
                                  Oct 3 at 23:50










                                  up vote
                                  0
                                  down vote













                                  "Converging" would the most apt descriptor for "not parallel" in my opinion, as geometrically speaking any lines which are not parallel can accurately be said to converge or diverge.






                                  share|improve this answer


























                                    up vote
                                    0
                                    down vote













                                    "Converging" would the most apt descriptor for "not parallel" in my opinion, as geometrically speaking any lines which are not parallel can accurately be said to converge or diverge.






                                    share|improve this answer
























                                      up vote
                                      0
                                      down vote










                                      up vote
                                      0
                                      down vote









                                      "Converging" would the most apt descriptor for "not parallel" in my opinion, as geometrically speaking any lines which are not parallel can accurately be said to converge or diverge.






                                      share|improve this answer














                                      "Converging" would the most apt descriptor for "not parallel" in my opinion, as geometrically speaking any lines which are not parallel can accurately be said to converge or diverge.







                                      share|improve this answer














                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer








                                      edited Oct 4 at 20:48

























                                      answered Oct 3 at 21:55









                                      GerardFalla

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